Difficult Parenthood of A Divorced Wizard
by Joga
Summary: Draco and Hermione meet 19 years after graduation from Hogwarts. He is the defendant and she is the judge. A DMHG story.
1. Court Summons

Chapter One  
  
"May I speak with Mr. Malfoy?" asked a man dressed in a dark Marks and Wizard suit.  
  
"In what matter?" came the house elf's reply.  
  
"Court summons."  
  
"I will see if he is at home." She went to the library, leaving the man in the hall. She knocked on the door and entered.  
  
"Sir."  
  
"Not now, Reyni, I am on line with Japan." Came a harsh reply.  
  
"I am sorry, sir, but."  
  
"Not, now!"  
  
"Very well, sir, but it is court summons." She turned to leave the room.  
  
"What?" the voice stopped her.  
  
"There is a man with court summons for you, sir."  
  
Draco Malfoy's face paled.  
  
"Get me Vincent here, Reyni," he said, and when she dropped some powder into the fire place and Vincent's head appeared: "Vincent, I am about to be served with a summons." He listened for a while to what his lawyer had to say and then said: "Okay, I want to see you here in half an hour." In the hall, Draco accepted the summons and read it. Through clenched teeth, he said:  
  
"Is my daughter at home?"  
  
"No, she is at school." Replied Reyni.  
  
"Yes, like I'm on Mars." Muttered he and then said aloud: "When Crabbe comes, send him to my study."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Oh, and when Anne Marie returns, tell her nothing about the summons."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Malfoy sat in his study. The Japanese contract was no longer on his mind. He returned in his thoughts to the year 2003. He had just finished University and turned twenty-two, when his Aunt from Boston, Massachusetts, invited him to stay with her. She said, he should see the New Continent. Her huge house at Beacon Hill vividly stood in front of his eyes, even now. The chief part of his stay there, was spent on social gatherings. It didn't take long for him to realise that his Aunt wanted him to marry a certain Miss Desiree - Anne Calloway, a daughter of her best friend, Catherine Marie Cabot-Calloway. He even liked Desiree. She was nice and. he always had difficulties trying to find another adjective to describe her. She went to Vaswizard and it was her first season out. His Aunt constantly talked about how prosperous such a marriage could be, how great Desiree was and how happy everyone would be. Of course, she never did it explicitly, but she hinted it at least two, three times a day. That was enough to make a twenty-two-year-old believe that Desiree was the Miss Right. Life was so different then. There was the magical and muggle worlds and there was still the shadow of the Dark Lord hovering (Draco couldn't thank Merlin enough that he's not been made a Death Eater. This way he could live a normal life). Now, it was a whole different story. Both worlds were quite integrated, many wizards lived in the muggle world and business was going well between the muggles and wizards.  
  
Draco's wedding ceremony was splendid and the newlyweds sailed off to Barbados. From the very first day of their marriage, Draco knew, it wouldn't last. He didn't love his bride and as her prime objective was just to marry and not to be outdone by her friends, she didn't care either, as long as the husband had money and position. Draco Malfoy was in possession of both. He could trace his family's history back to 1066, and the grounds of his family home, Malfoy Mannor, in Derbyshire, England were just minor positions on the list of his fortune. Desiree - Anne Calloway - Malfoy reached her goal in life at the age of eighteen and a half and that was fine with her. She got pregnant during their honeymoon (later she wouldn't get a chance) and nine months later gave birth to a baby girl, baptised as Anne Marie Malfoy. Years went by and the Malfoys had less and less in common. One fine day, Desiree - Anne Callway - Malfoy left the Malfoy Mansion at Holland Place and never came back. Apparently, she decided that what satisfied her at the age of twenty, no longer satisfied her when she was twenty-five and she gave up. The divorce procedures were conducted by post three years later, and Malfoy was granted custody of his daughter.  
  
His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door and Vincent Crabbe came in. He was a distant cousin of Malfoy, his lawyer, and closest friend. Crabbe was the only person whom Malfoy trusted. He was Malfoy's age, tall, much thinner than he was when he was fifteen, he could even be described as handsome and definitely young-looking. His face always wore a broad smile with a pinch of mockery. With such a smile he greeted Draco:  
  
"What did you get yourself in, Malfoy?"  
  
"Read it." Came the reply  
  
Crabbe took the paper out of Malfoy's hands and read it.  
  
"Don't despair. At most you'll get seven days and a thousand galleons fine." Joked Vincent.  
  
"Don't even joke about it. When I'll get my hands on my daughter she'll be sorry." Burst Malfoy  
  
"Calm down or they'll get you for child abuse as well." Laughed Crabbe. "It's not that bad. If we get a good judge, you'll come out crystal clear."  
  
"And if not?" asked Malfoy suspiciously.  
  
"You'll be fined at most. You're a good citizen. You pay your taxes, you don't have criminal record, and your kid gave herself a bit more holiday. It will be fine."  
  
"Yes and I can see the headlines: WELL-KNOWN BUSINESSMAN DRACO M. ON TRAIL; HIS DAUGHTER GAVE HERSELF A BIT MORE HOLIDAY."  
  
At that moment Anne Marie Malfoy ran into her father's study:  
  
"Hi dad, I need some money. Michelle and I are going to High Street Ken to do some shopping."  
  
At that moment she noticed Vincent Crabbe and then her father's steel-like eyes.  
  
"Something happened?" asked she innocently.  
  
"Sit down." Malfoy's voice was sharp. He rang the bell and Reyni appeared in the door. "Please, tell my daughter's friend that my daughter cannot go shopping with her."  
  
"Dad, stop." began Anne Marie.  
  
"Silence!" bellowed Malfoy in such a way that even Vincent Crabbe closed his opening mouth.  
  
Anne Marie knew exactly what had happened. Somehow her father learnt that she skipped her classes. She was praying he didn't know what she was really doing.  
  
"I believe you know what this is all about?" asked Malfoy in a cold voice.  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
"What do you have to say in your defence?"  
  
She was silent.  
  
"Can you tell me why you were skipping classes?"  
  
She was silent.  
  
"Answer me, when I'm asking!"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"That's a truly intelligent answer, don't you think Vincent? It's worth the five thousand a year that I pay for her school, isn't it?" said Malfoy ironically.  
  
"You don't have to pay." Replied the girl.  
  
"Silence. You may answer when asked."  
  
"I will never tolerate to be shouted at." Said she getting up.  
  
"Then your situation is pitiful because this is what will happen right now. Your careless, insipid behaviour will not be tolerated. You are banned from outings, TV and Internet from today on. You will use magic only for educational reasons. You will be taken to and from school and you will spend at least three hours a day reading serious books. You will be helping Reyni with housekeeping, of course if they won't jail you first."  
  
"Jail?" said Anne Marie, for the first time looking rather scared.  
  
"Yes, jail. If I am threatened with jail for your skipping classes, then so are you."  
  
"You? With jail for my."  
  
"Yes, miss. If you read papers instead of watching those moronic series, you would know that parents can get jailed for their children 'giving themselves a bit more vacations' as Vincent put it." His voice was calm again but there was something sharp in it. The girl looked truly scared.  
  
"What do you have to say, now, miss?" he said stiffly.  
  
"I am sorry, daddy. It won't happen again."  
  
"Oh, I'll make sure, it won't happen again. Rest assured! Now, I want to know, what you were doing when you were on your little vacation?"  
  
The girl was silent.  
  
"I will know either way, but it would be better for you if you told me. You do remember that I have Veritaserum stocked in my desk. So?"  
  
Anne Marie looked a little unsure.  
  
"Will you be mad?" she asked  
  
"Don't play with me child or I will lose my patience." He blurred.  
  
"I was selling."  
  
"Selling? What?" vivid picture of schoolgirls pornography in Japan appeared in Malfoy's mind. He was sure he read that it was not being introduced in England.  
  
"Pictures." Said the girl  
  
"What pictures?" replied her father, thinking: I'm going to get the man who did it to her.  
  
"You see. I found this web site." She is involved in children pornography over the Internet - was Malfoy's first thought. ".and Rachel."  
  
"Who is Rachel?" demanded her father.  
  
"A girl from the States. She is mad about the Colonel."  
  
"Who is the Colonel?"  
  
"Oh, he is great, we all love him."  
  
"What is he doing to you?"  
  
"Nothing, I don't understand. Anyway, she has all sorts of pictures of him and I."  
  
"What pictures?"  
  
"Normal, anyway I printed them out. This new printer you got me is great and I have this photo program from Jake."  
  
"Jake, who is Jake?"  
  
"Jake, our next door neighbour. And I was selling those pictures."  
  
"You were selling them! Vince, can she be jailed for pornography?"  
  
"Pornography, daddy?. Oh, my, you thought?. I'm rolling on the floor laughing out loud!"  
  
"What?" exclaimed Malfoy, totally confused.  
  
"Dad, it's a literature site about books by a muggle author Jane Austen. We all love Colonel Fitzwilliam. He is great. And the actor who played him in the film for the last century: Anthony Calf. Those were his pictures from the film. I know it was illegal. You know property rights and so on but. Wait till I tell the girls." She couldn't stop laughing.  
  
"You will tell nothing because you are banned from the Internet and outings. Is that clear, young lady? And now, go to your room."  
  
Anne Marie walked out and both men could hear her bursting out laughing on the staircase. 


	2. The Court Session

Chapter Two  
  
Two days later; Holland Place  
  
"Mr. Crabbe to see you, sir." Said Reyni letting the lawyer into Malfoy's study.  
  
"Hello, Vince. How are you?"  
  
"Will do, Draco, but I have a good and a bad news."  
  
"What happened? Don't tell me! The Japanese backed out. I knew there was something fishy about Yoshimoto from the very beginning. Hell, I will have to call the Koreans and maybe we'll get the Daewoo contract in Poland. Where did I put his number? I need."  
  
"Draco, wait! It's not about the Japanese. We are to sign the contract next week. They are all happy bunnies. It's about your trial."  
  
"What now? What has she done now? Anne Marie Malfoy, you'll feel what it means to have a strict father."  
  
"No, Draco, it's the good news. I called a couple of places and found out who the judge is."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"It's Justice Kellerman. He is a good, old man. Don't worry. You'll come out crystal clear. We'll tell him, how much you care for your daughter and what you do for her. We'll promise, it won't happen again and it will be fine. He'll acquit you."  
  
"Fine. What's the bad news?"  
  
"You'll need to take vacation."  
  
"That's the bad news?"  
  
"Yes. You see. We'll tell the judge that you have already decided to take your daughter for vacation in one of those lovely French resorts. It will be a reward for good marks and stuff. Justice Kellerman will be satisfied. You and Anne Marie will go in three months time for three weeks away. I've already booked the places in a luxurious hotel, and that will be evidence of your good will as a father in court."  
  
"Great," said Malfoy rather without enthusiasm. The last time he had vacation in a luxurious hotel, it was during his honeymoon. He and Desiree went to the beach, she swam in the hotel swimming pool and in the evening she spent his money in the casino. He hoped that at least Anne Marie would not end her day in casino. Of course, she would not, he would keep an eye on her.  
  
Six days later  
  
"Draco Malfoy speaking." Said he to the receiver. Muggle mobiles were extremely comfortable devises.  
  
"Hello, Draco. It's Markus Flint. Remember me?"  
  
"Sure, old mate. How are you?"  
  
"Great. Never better in fact. I'm calling to tell you that I am engaged to be married."  
  
"Congratulations. Who is the lucky girl?"  
  
"Virginia Weasley-Kellerman."  
  
"Ron's sister? When will the desired event take place?"  
  
"Yes, we've been together for sometime now and we are to be married in three months."  
  
"Congratulations once more. To you and the bride."  
  
"Thank you. I have a favour to ask of you."  
  
"Shoot," replied Malfoy.  
  
"Will you be my best man?"  
  
"I am honoured Flint. Of course! With pleasure."  
  
"Thank you. I'll be in London next week. Shall we have lunch together?"  
  
"Of course. When?"  
  
"Thursday?"  
  
"Fine with me. Let's meet in Danesfield in Marlow. I'm on business in Slough in the morning. How about two o'clock?"  
  
"Right. See you then."  
  
"Bye." Malfoy hung up the receiver. Markus Flint was his roommate when he was a freshman at Cambridge and they stayed friends through the years. Two years ago, Markus took some work in Inverness and moved to Scotland where he still lived. Malfoy wondered how Virginia looked now. Malfoy wondered if she was related to Justice Kellerman. But it seemed hardly possible.  
  
Lunch with Markus went smoothly. Although they hadn't seen each other for two years, they had lots to talk about and before they knew, they decided to have dinner at Danesfield, as well. Markus talked constantly about Virginia. How wonderful she was, how angelic, how good, how beautiful and when he produced her photo, she hasn't changed much. Maybe she was more graceful.  
  
"This Kellerman surname, where did that come from?" asked Draco.  
  
"She married some cad after school. Complete disaster. They got divorced."  
  
They agreed that Markus would bring her to dinner to Holland Place when they both came to London, and it was nearly midnight when they parted.  
  
Two weeks later  
  
"Silence in the Court. All rise!" said the voice and everyone in the room obeyed. The door opened and a woman of thirty something walked in and took the place of the judge.  
  
"Judge Kellerman? The good, old man?" asked Malfoy quizzically in whisper.  
  
"Yes. No. I mean I didn't ask. It's his daughter-in-law. We are in trouble. She is the nightmare of everyone who did anything bad to their child." Replied Crabbe in the same manner.  
  
"I haven't done anything wrong to Anne Marie. She did it. Vincent, you're dead."  
  
"Well, Judge Kellerman does not share your point of view. She was one of the strongest supporters of the."  
  
"Silence" said the Justice Kellerman "and the defendant should not threaten his lawyer."  
  
Draco looked up at the woman who spoke. It was no one else but Hermione Granger. 


	3. The Sentence

This isn't exactly an English courtroom, it's more American than British but that's licencia poetica. Joga  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Hermione Granger was Justice Kellerman! - that was madness - thought Draco as he stood looking incredulously at Hermione.  
  
"Do you have a problem Mr. Malfoy." Asked she  
  
"No, You Honour. I shall refrain from further comments."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. That is the defendant's name, right Mr. Crabbe?"  
  
"Yes, Your Honour and I can assure you that my client never meant to threaten me."  
  
"It sounded different to me. Shall we proceed? Mr. Malfoy, you are aware of what you are accused."  
  
"Yes, my client knows and..."  
  
"Mr. Crabbe, I believe, your client can speak for himself."  
  
"Yes, but Your Honour, this is..."  
  
"Silence, Mr. Crabbe. Mr. Malfoy, will I get your answer?"  
  
"I am accused of breaching article 7 of 2005 Ministerial Decree on Wizarding Parent-Child Responsibility."  
  
"Right, Mr. Malfoy. You are aware, what punishment you may be facing?"  
  
"Yes, Your Honour."  
  
"Yes, Your Honour, and what else?"  
  
"Up to seven days imprisonment or a fine."  
  
"Or up to seven days of imprisonment and a fine, Mr. Malfoy."  
  
"You are right, Your Honour."  
  
"I would be surprised, if it was different, Mr. Malfoy. Now, Mr. Malfoy, could you tell the Court why your daughter took this "little vacation off school", so to speak?"  
  
"I cannot state..."  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, you are a father and it is your responsibility to know, what your daughter's motives and deeds are."  
  
"Yes, Your Honour, but..."  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, there is no 'but', when there is safety of your child at stake. Do you know how many girls under 16 are raped every day in this country? I believe you don't. Let me tell you then, 37. 37, Mr. Malfoy! Do you know, how many it makes a year? No? I will tell you then, Mr. Malfoy, 13,505, Mr. Malfoy and I doubt that even you would like your daughter to be raped. Is that right, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"Your Honour, my client..."  
  
"Silence, Mr. Crabbe. I know you are a top-notch company lawyer but those tricks do not work here. This is a family department of this court, Mr. Crabbe, and please remember it. Now, Mr. Malfoy, can we talk facts here?"  
  
"Yes, Your Honour." He said aloud and then muttered: "And what were we doing for the last half an hour?"  
  
"I will accept no impertinence in this room. Is that clear?" asked Justice Kellerman  
  
"Yes, Your Honour." Replied Malfoy.  
  
"Good and that applies to you too, Mr. Crabbe."  
  
"Certainly, Your Honour." Replied Vincent slightly grinning.  
  
This time, Justice Kellerman pretended not to see it.  
  
"So, Mr. Malfoy, you don't know what your daughter was doing?"  
  
"Your Honour, Miss Malfoy is an independent woman and we all know her to be responsible young lady."  
  
"Girl, Mr. Crabbe, 14 year old girl."  
  
"Yes. It happened for the first time and Mr. Malfoy can assure the Court that it will not happen again."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Miss Malfoy is at the moment under constant watch of Mr. Malfoy's house employees and Mr. Malfoy has already arranged their vacations together in a lovely resort in France..." continued Vincent.  
  
"Mr. Crabbe, stop ridiculing yourself and your client even further. Do you think that it is enough for a father to pay for expensive vacations? No, Mr. Crabbe, it is not. A 14 year old girl, especially without a mother, needs her father's love and presence. She doesn't have to be "under watch" of her father's employees. Thank you. The sentence will be pronounced in ten minutes."  
  
Justice Hermione Kellerman was not a harsh woman. In fact she was very amiable and loved by all her relations. She was witty and intelligent but she had inborn hate towards all those rich scoundrels who produced a child and then thought that it was enough to give the child big money, especially scoundrels like Malfoy. Ten minutes later, Justice Kellerman read the verdict, she was in a hurry to meet her former sister-in law and friend, Virginia, coming at last from Scotland:  
  
"In the name of the Queen, I sentence you, Draco Lucius Malfoy to seven days in prison and a fine of one thousand galleons. You are to come to the Wizarding Custody Office tomorrow at noon, where you will start serving your punishment. The imprisonment cannot be changed into a fine. This sentence is not a subject of appeal.  
  
"The Court finished this session, all rise." Said the voice and Justice Kellerman left the room. 


	4. Signs of Being Unhappy

Chapter Four  
The sun was shining when Hermione Kellerman finally finished with her  
cases today. It's bee a bad day altogether. It started with her ex-  
father-in-law, Justice Edward Kellerman came to her this morning and  
told her that he decided to retire and move out of the house. Hermione  
met Edward in her final year at MLEA - Magical Law Enfoecement  
Academy. He gave a lecture there and Hermione was impressed by his  
views. She approached him after the lecture and they talked. He gave  
her her first job as his assistant and in no time she was a friend of  
the family. She met Edward's younger son and fancied herself in love  
with him. They got married. His older brother was his best men, Ginny  
Weasley was Hermione's maid of honour. That's how Ginny became her  
sister. Both marriages of the Kellerman's ended in a fiasco. Five  
years ago, Ginny and Hermione became single again. Her marriage  
problems did not influence her relations with Edward.  
  
This morning, Hermione thought that Edward meant the Court, when he  
was referring to the house but she soon came to understanding that he  
meant home. Although, she knew that the marriage of her in-laws was  
not a happy one, to say the least, she never have thought that he  
would decide to move out. She stared at him in the state of complete  
shock.  
  
"Hermione," he said, "you know very well that Ginger and I are hardly  
meant for each other. In fact, we never were, but it's just. well, it  
doesn't matter now. Hermione, you must have realised that I was hardly  
ever home, if I could avoid it. Hermione, I don't know how to tell you  
that?"  
  
"Straightforward, Edward. There is someone else?"  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"I had my suspicions. Can you tell me who she is?"  
  
"It's Madelaine Avery. Her husband died so long ago, and we grew to  
like each other, with Maddie, more than."  
  
"I thought so."  
  
"Was it that obvious?"  
  
"No, but I somehow knew. She is very nice and attractive but."  
  
"She is an ex-Death Eater?"  
  
"It's not that." Hermione seemed confused.  
  
"You feel betrayed. I know, child, but."  
  
"How long has it been going on?"  
  
"More than five years."  
  
"When Ginny and I moved out, right?"  
  
"Yes, you know, it wasn't easy."  
  
"I know, Edward. Listen, can we talk about it later, I have a case at  
ten."  
  
"Yes, dear. Can we meet for lunch some time next week?"  
  
"Sure, Edward." Replied she, leaving the room. The case at ten was a  
hard one. Three children were abused by both their parents. The  
youngest one was mentally retarded, and the older ones, a boy and a  
girl, were in a state of shock, and the healers did not give them many  
chances for complete recovery. The case was going on for the last  
year, and the end was not to be foreseen soon. It was always  
depressing for Justice Hermione Kellerman, and she tried to have it as  
the only one during the day. But today, she had one more case at four  
o'clock and she didn't like it. She knew that she would be tired and  
that she would not be thinking clearly.  
  
The session, which began at ten, lasted for three and a half hours,  
and Hermione was forced to listen to the father of the family who  
dared to claim that he was innocent and thought himself to be free of  
the charges, because in his consciousness, he has done nothing wrong.  
His testimony raged Hermione, and when it came to the Malfoy case, she  
was sure even the slightest misbehaviour of the male defendant would  
make her burst out, especiallgy that Draco and she had a history. They  
were at school together and they hated each other. Now, it was of  
course all forgotten as a childish thing but Draco definitely wasn't  
her favourite man.  
  
Shortly before the four o'clock session, she went through the case  
file. It was an easy one. The defendant was so far crystal clear, even  
though his family was linked with Voldemort. He ran a large holding,  
and his daughter was well taken care of. She had already known that  
all she could sentence him to, was a small fine, but what happened in  
the Courtroom was another story.  
  
Apparating pick up Ginny, Hermione was already regretting her harsh  
jurisdiction. She was convinced that Draco Malfoy wasn't all that bad,  
and if it hadn't been for the circumstances, the whole case might have  
ended up differently. Soon, she consoled herself that maybe her  
verdict would teach him a lesson and he would not be so sure of  
himself next time. After all, he did all to prove he was a scoundrel  
who treated his daughter as an object or mascot and petted her from  
time to time with big money to go shopping in High Street Ken. 


	5. Freedom

Chapter Five  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, please come this way," said the officer when Malfoy's 'check in' to the custody office was completed. He led him to the cell. Somehow Malfoy was afraid. In fact, his last night was haunted with visions of himself sharing a cell with a thief or worse, murderer, not to mention that he has lately read an article on homosexuality in prisons. The only good news was that Azkaban no longer existed. He could not picture himself with the Dementors.  
  
When Justice Kellerman left the Courtroom yesterday, Malfoy was furious. Not only because he was to spend a week in prison, but because he was so humiliated by a woman, by Granger. He released his anger on Vincent. Malfoy could not understand how Vincent could not have checked the judge correctly. How could he not have known that there were two Kellerman judges? But then, Malfoy realised that he was to blame as well. He treated the whole affair rather lightly after initial anger when he learnt about Anne Marie's escapades. And then, his line of defence in Court was terribly stupid. His comments made in half voice were out of place, and Vincent's talk about vacations screwed everything. Of that Malfoy was now conscious.  
  
He walked into the cell half expecting to see a lousy looking, unshaved and unkempt Rodriguez, as he was sure all convicts were called. In fact, Malfoy, being a man of six and thirty, had very little idea of the darker side of life. He didn't know what it meant to worry about money or other things; he spent his life on gentlemen-like pursuits, and earning even more money.  
  
On walking into the cell, he found out that his 'roommate' was nothing like he imagined. He was a small, fat man of Malfoy's age, maybe a bit older, wearing an Armani suit. He looked rather scared as well. Awkward silence was hanging in the room when the warden closed the gate. Malfoy felt defenceless without a wand. Finally he spoke first:  
  
"Hi. I'm Draco," he said, preferring not to reveal his name.  
  
"Livius," replied the man, slightly relaxing.  
  
Malfoy wasn't sure what to ask next, but Livius seemed to have made a decision to speak first:  
  
"I'm here for my daughter's truancy. And you?"  
  
"Same."  
  
"I thought I'd kill my daughter when I got the summons. When she came back home, I was ready to tear her to pieces."  
  
"You don't have to tell me. I was so furious that... No, I can't even think about it. But I believe it's the bad influence of my daughter's girlfriend," said Malfoy.  
  
"You are right. That's what I think as well. My little girl is really a good child, and I am absolutely sure that it is the influence of the other girl. I always thought her to be a mean little thing. I know she comes from a good family but even in good families there are black sheep."  
  
"I understand. I know the other girl has a good background, but as you say. One can never know, there are black sheep."  
  
"Yes. But I was shocked when she told me what she was doing when she was supposed to have been at school," replied Livius.  
  
"Me too. I was at first really scared. I though she got involved in pornography. I have read those terrifying articles in the press about schoolgirl pornography."  
  
"It's funny, that you mention it, but so thought I. Michelle..."  
  
"Michelle?"  
  
"Yes, my daughter. It turned out that she was selling..."  
  
"Photos of some Colonel," ended Malfoy.  
  
"Yes, how did you know? Oh, God, your daughter and mine?"  
  
"How dare you call my daughter a 'black sheep' or 'mean little thing'! Anne Marie is a very..."  
  
"How dared you say that it was my daughter's bad influence?" bellowed Livius  
  
"Gentlemen, silence," called the warden, just as Malfoy was at Livius's collar.  
  
He stopped: "We should behave more reasonably. We are both furious that our daughters got us in here. Let's calm down," he said and after a while added: "How long did you get?"  
  
"One day. And you?" asked Livius  
  
"Seven days."  
  
"Why on Earth so much? Has your daughter done it before?"  
  
"No."  
  
"So?" asked Livius incredulously.  
  
"I guess both the judge and myself, we had a bad day."  
  
"I see."  
  
There was silence for w while and Malfoy spoke:  
  
"I believe you run Atrium Ltd. I think Anne Marie mentioned it."  
  
"Yes and you are the head of Malfoy Holding."  
  
"Yes. Atrium does plumber services on large scale, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you have your agency in Poland?"  
  
"Yes," said Livius beginning to understand to what those questions tended.  
  
"My company will be building a factory plant there for the Japanese. The previous plumber company was not working up to our standards so maybe you could make a deal with Atrium."  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
"Let's get into particulars then." Ventured Malfoy.  
  
Next day at twelve, the warden came in saying: "Gentlemen you are free."  
  
"How come?" asked Malfoy  
  
"There was an order from the Court. You don't have to carry out the rest of the penalty. Changed to probation. Probation officer will come to you tomorrow at twelve, so be home."  
  
Malfoy wanted to kiss Vincent Goyle in the mouth for bailing him out somehow. 


End file.
